‘I will write, I promise,’ Tess said sitting down at the table and pulling her bowl of porridge towards her. ‘But don’t expect a letter straight away . . .’ She giggled, spooning porridge. ‘Remember the postcards, Gran, when all us kids were first evacuated? Our teachers had already written our home address on one side and we were to fill them in and send them off as soon as we were told what our new address was going to be. Gosh, when I look back and remember what a frightened little kid I was, I’m astonished that I managed to send that postcard at all. And of course I didn’t go to the Bells at first, but to that nasty old lady who begrudged every mouthful of food I ate, and then the ones who nagged me about wetting the bed, until I was so scared I tried to run away. Only then Mrs Bell took me in and everything was different.’

Gran nodded, sitting down opposite Tess and beginning to eat her own porridge. ‘That’s all best forgotten,’ she said between mouthfuls. ‘Just you concentrate on the list of stations we made out. Don’t forget, porters are there to help people when they have to change trains. Oh, dear. In a way I wish I was going with you, but I suspect that it would probably be you leading me and not vice versa.’ She smiled as Tess jumped to her feet and took her empty bowl over to the sink. ‘It’s a brilliant day already. Are you sure you want to wear your mackintosh? You’ll be awfully hot by the time you reach Norwich Thorpe. Only I dare say it wouldn’t fit into your suitcase, so perhaps you had better wear it.’

‘I might as well,’ Tess said. ‘Have you finished your porridge, Gran? ’Cos if you’re ready we might as well leave. I know trains are always late, but you never know, this one might be the exception.’

Gran laughed but got to her feet. ‘All right, all right, I knew how it would be,’ she said resignedly. ‘Just give me time to visit the lavvy and I’ll be with you.’

Twenty minutes later Gran and Tess, Tess carrying a suitcase and listing heavily to port, arrived at Lime Street station. Gran suggested they might go to the refreshment room and have a cup of tea, since it was quarter of an hour before their train was due, but Tess pointed out that if she drank too much and the train was very crowded she might have to get out when it stopped to find a Ladies and then the train might go off without her, so she and Gran perched on one of the benches until their train was announced. Gran bought a platform ticket and carried Tess’s mac over her arm whilst Tess teetered along in her wake. They got aboard and bagged the corner seat by the simple expedient of putting Tess’s mac down on it and the suitcase on top of that; then Tess shooed Gran back on to the platform, worried that the train might suddenly start and carry the older woman off too. Instead she let down the leather strap to open the window and leaned out so that they could say goodbye. For once the train was on time and they could hear the engine getting up steam even as the porter came along, waving his flag and slamming doors.